Elastic fluid turbine arrangement



.Fune 21, 1938. A, R SMITH ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE ARRANGEMENT Filed Dec. 19, 1935 Inventor Arthur R. Smith n fla 7 His Attorney Patented June 21, 1938 3 UNITED STAT PM OFFI E Arthur R. Smith, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 19, 1935, Serial No. 55,228

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to elastic fluid turbine arrangements in which a turbine including a condenser are provided for driving an electric generator or like machine.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of such condenser turbines whereby they may be built more economically and operated at higher efllciency.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a turbine arrangement embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the present instance I have shown a mercury vapor turbine arrangement because my invention is of particular significance in connection with this type of turbines in which special attention need be paid to the sealing of the turbine casing. In addition, dificulties are often encoun- 25 tered in handling the large amount of vapor exhausted from mercury vapor turbines, necessitating large exhaust hoods or casings connecting the turbines to the condensers. These difficulties are overcome in accordance with my invention by the provision of an arrangement in which the turbine is disposed substantially entirely within the condenser so that mercury vapor discharged from the last turbine bucket wheel may flow freely, that is, without any obstruction into the condenser.

The arrangement shown in the drawing comprises a turbine l disposed substantially entirely within the turbine condenser I l and driving a machine, in the present instance an electric generator 12. The condenser II forms a box-shaped structure with an outer casing I3 having arms or flanges l4 welded thereto on each side and loosely engaging supports resting on a foundation 16. The supports l5 are preferably in the form of a hollow tubes having ends projecting into depressions l1 and 18 in the arms I4 and the foundation I3 respectively. This form of support permits slight movement of the condenser casing due to expansion and contraction without setting up undesirable stresses. The condenser is of the surface type including a lower header [9 and an upper header 20 disposed within the outer casing and projecting through the front and rear walls thereof. The headers are connected by banks of cooling tubes 2|. The tubes are bent outwardly to form a large central space 22 for accommodating the entire or a substantial portion of the turbine structure. A partition 23 separates the condenser space in an upper space in which condensation. takes place and a lower or bottom space to which condensate is conducted through an opening or openings 24 in the partition. A conduit 25 is connected to the bottom of the condenser for discharging condensate therefrom.

The turbine structure includes an outer casing with an integrally formed front or inlet section 26 and an exhaust section 2'! having upper and lower halves united by means of bolts 28. The inlet portion 23 is funnel-shaped and has an outer wall 29 with a central, axial inlet 30 and an inner wall 3| substantially concentrically spaced from the outer wall 29 to form an annular channel 32 for conducting elastic fluid, in the present instance mercury vapor, to an annular row of nozzles 33 disposed ahead of a bucket wheel 34. The turbine rotor is secured to an overhung shaft portion supported on a bearing 35 intermediate the turbineand the generator l2. A cylindrical element 36 provided with a flange 3'1 surrounds the wall 29 of the inlet casing section and is secured thereto. The flange 3'! is fastened by means of bolts 38 to a ring 39, which latter is welded to the condenser casing. Thus, the flanged cylindrical element 36 represents in substance a means for supporting the front section of the turbine casing. The rear section of the turbine casing is secured by means of bolts 40 to asupport 41, which latter has a flange 42 fastened by means of bolts 43 to a ring 44 welded to the condenser casing. The support 41 is also secured by a structure 45 to a casing or outer wall 46 of the generator 12. This arrangement permits easy assembly and disassembly thereof. After the connection between the condenser and the turbine is removed by disassembling the bolts 38 and 43, the entire turbine weight is supported through the structure 45 by the generator 12. The generator itself rests on a foundation 41. The support is preferably effected through the intermediary of rolls 48 or like friction bearing elements so that the generator l2 together with the turbine [0 may be easily moved away from the condenser after removal of the bolts 38 and 43. When installed, the rolls are held in position by any suitable means, such as blocks or wedges 41w.

In order to eliminate any leakage of elastic fluid along the bolt connections special sealing means are provided on the front and rear portion of the turbine casing. The means for sealing the connections by the bolts 38 include two concentrically spaced rings 49 and 50 welded to the turbine wall 29 and the condenser casing respectively and having outer edges integrally united by means of a channel-shaped plate 5| Welded thereto. The rings 49, 5D with the plate 5| form a space 52 for receiving any leakage along the bolts and along the adjacent surfaces of the flange 3T and the ring 39. The connection between the support 4| and the condenser casing is similarly sealed by means of concentrically spaced rings 53 and 54 welded to the condensercasing and a rear plate of the support respectively. The outer edges of the rings 53 and 54 are united by a channel-shaped member 55. Disassembly of the sealing structure is easily accomplished by cutting the welded edges between the sealing rings and the corresponding channel plates. Thereafter the bolts 38 and 43 may be removed and the turbine moved out of the condenser casing by moving the generator away from the condenser. The condensing itself is very effective in this arrangement in that the last bucket wheel exhausts over its entire area directly into the condenser.

The latter forms in the present instance, in known manner, a boiler. The cooling fluid consists preferably of water conducted to the lower header I9 through an inlet conduit 56. The Water as it passes from the lower header tothe cooling tubes into the upper header is heated and partly evaporated, the steam being discharged through an outlet conduit 57 secured to the upper header.

With my invention I have accomplished an improved construction and arrangement of condensing turbines for driving, generators or like machines. Certain features of the arrangement described above are covered by the Patent No. 2,057,561 of E. D. Dickinson on the same subject matter and the applicationof which was 'flled on the same day as this present application.

Having described the method of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now considerto represent the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit understood that the apparatus shown is-only illustrative and that the invention may be carriedout by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An elastic fluid turbine arrangement including the combination of a multi-stage elastic fluid turbine having a casing, a machine driven by the turbine, and a condenser for the turbine, the turbine casing being disposed substantially entirely within the condenser, said condenser having an outer casing, lower and upper headers extending axially with the turbine and a plurality of cooling tubes connected between the headers and embracing the turbine.

2. An elastic fluid turbine arrangement including the combination of a condenser having an outer casing, a lower and an upper header within the casing, curved cooling tubes connected between the headers to define a large central space,

an elastic fluid turbine having an inlet portion sealed to the condenser casing and a last bucket wheel disposed within and exhausting directly into the central space, and means for support ing the turbine at least partly on the condenser casing.

3. An elastic fluid condensing turbine arrangement including the combination of a box-shaped casing structure, lower and upper headers with banks of tubes connected between the headers disposedwithin the casing, the tubes being curved in opposite directions to define a large central space, and a turbine having a casing disposed within said central space and supported on the casing structure.

4. An elastic'fluid turbine arrangement including the combination of a multi-stage elastic fluid turbine having aoasing with an inlet for receiving elastic fluid, and a condenser for're'ceiving and condensingexhaust fluid discharged from the turbine, said condenser comprising an upper and a lower header axially arranged above and below the turbine respectively, a bank of tubes disposed on opposite sides of and embracing the turbine, said tubes being curved outward and. connected between the headers, and a condenser casing-enclosing the headers and. the tubes .andsupporting the turbine casing.

' ARTHUR R. SMITH. 

